Sip With Me

At 52 Million TikTok followers and 1.4 Billion likes, Michael Le is one of the world’s most influential, most viewed, and key to his success, most loving and positive, social media personalities out there.

Everything he touches turns to gold, and we’re so excited because he shares a passion for a lot of what made Ioanna and I friends- dance, fitness, and family.

The 23 year-old dancer and choreographer is known for his epic dance vids, collabs, and his bright personality. On top of his TikToks, he has several YouTube channels, a business, and is always partnering with world famous creators and brands.

Michael joins us to discuss how he got into dance and how how creativity led to his historic rise to the top of the TikTok charts.

Plus, hear about his entrepreneurial side and his company “Joystick”, a gaming and esports platform that seeks to empower players in the web3 space.

And, he talks about his hysterical family, known by fans as “The Shluv Family” and gives us a peak info what it’s like creating with your loved ones.

We end with an update on what he’s looking forward to in the rest of 2023, AND we play a round of rapid fire, discussing Michael’s favorite workout, dream collab, what game he’s playing right now, and more!

Follow Michael on Instagram: @justmaiko

Follow his YouTube channels:

https://youtube.com/@JustMaiko

https://youtube.com/@justmaiko2

https://youtube.com/@TheShluvFamily

Discover “Joystick”:

https://joystickgaming.io

There’s nothin’ more Chicago than a shot of Malört (or a bottle)!

It’s famous for its unique taste and rich history. It’s a traditional wormwood based liquor near and dear to Chicago’s food and drink pop culture, and it’s been gaining insane popularity in recent years.

Tremaine Atkinson, CEO, Co-Founder, & Head Drinker of CH Distillery, which bought the famous brand in 2018, added it to its portfolio of artisan spirits. The company, which embodies Chicago in name and spirit, is host to a 50,000 sq foot distillery and a portfolio of Illinois spirits.

We chat with Tremaine about why he founded CH and what led him to fall in love with Jeppson’s Malört. Hear some of its rich history and why Tremaine brought the brand back to Chicago.

Plus, hear about what it’s like to run a distillery in a major city and  what makes their spirits stand out from the crowd!

Follow them @chdistillery

Visit https://chdistillery.com/ to learn more about the brand, book a reservation at CH Bar, or book a distillery tour!

PLUS, they have partnered with Jinsei Motto to offer both cocktail and sushi at their West Loop location! Ioanna and I checked it out, and it’s a 10/10 spot for a night out or drinks after work!

She’s back, and this time, she’s an author!

You know the memes- one of the most recognizable online symbols of the last decade. Jen Ellis, the creator of Bernie Sanders’ mittens, joined us in June 2021 well after the meme frenzy had cooled, and honestly it felt like an old friend was having coffee with us. Now, she’s put her story to paper, and let us tell you, it’s magical!

Jen craftily (literally) walks readers through her life, leading up to the day her mittens went viral, and beyond to how it hugely impacted her life. The book is raw with honest emotions, vulnerable moments, and witty jokes. Ever wonder what it’s like to, in a matter of 2-3 minutes, became Internet famous? Read her book to find out- cause it’s crazy and not exactly what you might expect! Beyond that, she shares life stories that everyone can relate to, and yes, Aaron did cry reading!

Jen joins us to discuss the book, where we can catch her on tour, and she’s announces she’s writing a second book! And, we learn about “Breakfast Ice Cream”.

You can get the book at the link in our bio! And follow Jen on Twitter: @VTawesomeness

About The Author:

Jen Ellis was a teacher and crafter when the mittens she sewed for Senator Bernie Sanders became the inspiration for millions of memes. Originally from South Portland, Maine, Ellis’s teaching career spanned nearly two decades in the public schools of North Carolina and Vermont. She is a songwriter, beekeeper, and still sews the occasional pair of mittens for local non-profit fundraisers.

Seltzerland could be coming to a city near you! We chat with Kate Levenstein of Cannonball Productions about her food and beverage events company which is throwing this epic bash! We talk our favorite seltzers, some of the cool brands who will be pouring at the events, and why this festival is SO on brand for #summer2023. You can find the official event description below and a link to snag tickets!

Dates include Chicago June 10, Boston June 17, NYC July 22.

Seltzerland, the ultimate hard seltzer festival, will be traveling to epic outdoor venues across the United States where attendees will spend the afternoon tasting a ton of hard seltzers and canned cocktails. This year, Seltzerland is debuting the first-ever CANtina presented by Good Foods, dedicated to serving delicious guacamole and chips, refreshing tequila sodas from Casa Azul, and of course good vibes. While experiencing the perfect blend of bold flavors and fun, there will be a DJ performing a live soundtrack, instagrammable photo-ops, tons of games and activities like seltzer pong, ladder ball, and cornhole, and go home with all the seltzer swag you could dream of.

https://www.seltzerland.com

Follow them on Instagram @seltzer_land

You’ve seen these celeb favorite, super meme-worthy cookies before, most likely for the first time during the 2016 presidential campaign. Sarah Silverman, Owner of New York’s Funny Face Bakery, got her start in baking after leaving school to pursue her culinary passion. Her iconic cookies designed as the faces of Bernie Sanders, Hilary Clinton, and Donald Trump went viral in 2016 soon after opening shop in the East Village, and they’ve been designing “pop culture” and custom cookies ever since!

Sarah chats with us about what inspired her to make the leap of faith into the culinary world and how she actually started with cupcakes, not cookies. Hear what happened when she made her iconic presidential cookies in October 2016. Plus, we discuss the design process, her incredible team of bakers and designers, and what they have coming up later this year!

We end with rapid fire to learn her favorite cookie design, the secret to a great cookie, and what kind of design Sip with Me would be as a cookie!

Shop or order custom cookies at www.funnyfacebakery.com, and follow them on instagram @funnyfacebakery

Live from our virtual kitchen, it’s Eitan Bernath!

Chef, Author, Activist, Entertainer, Entrepreneur, and CEO, he’s got the tastiest bio of any 21 year-old we know!

At 3 billion views annually across social platforms, he is an international sensation who started as one of the youngest contestants ever on Food Network’s Chopped and later appeared on Guy’s Grocery Games where his entertainment career really began to sizzle. It’s all sizzle and no fizzle in his future, as he’s released a cookbook, became Principal Culinary Contributor to The Drew Barrymore Show, and continues to travel the world exploring all humanity has to offer via food.

He joined us to discuss his career, cookbook, and working with Drew Barrymore. Plus, we chat about his influences, his adorbs cats who made a cameo, and we even played a round of THIS OR THAT NYC Edition!!

Follow Eitan @eitan and visit eitanbernath.com to get his cookbook or watch his television segments!

This week, we’re featuring Tyson and Audy Leavitt of Charmed Playhouses & Resorts! The Charmed team makes the most unique and fantastic playhouses in the world, and also operates a resort featuring stunning cottages that will transport you to Storybook Square or Wonder Way! Become immersed in your own specially crafted fairytale, or stay at the resort and become part of the plot on Hook’s Pirate Ship or The Lost Boys’ Treehouse!

Founded in 2015, the duo wanted life to be more whimsical, so they combined their skills and started building! The playhouses eventually went viral (because they’re so freaking awesome) and have been commissioned by a-list celebs like Stephen Curry, and they even were the center of TLC’s “Playhouse Masters”.

We chatted about how it all began with a Rapunzel playhouse and how they eventually decided to open a resort to make their magical designs more accessible! We chatted about their favorite fairytales & favorite cottages at the resort! We got the scoop on how to source the right decor, and even discussed how one ships a giant playhouse to a client! Check out their website: https://charmedplayhouses.com/ and stay at the Charmed Resorts: https://charmedresorts.ca/

This week, we’re featuring Tyson and Audy Leavitt of Charmed Playhouses & Resorts! The Charmed team makes the most unique and fantastic playhouses in the world, and also operates a resort featuring stunning cottages that will transport you to Storybook Square or Wonder Way! Become immersed in your own specially crafted fairytale, or stay at the resort and become part of the plot on Hook’s Pirate Ship or The Lost Boys’ Treehouse!

Founded in 2015, the duo wanted life to be more whimsical, so they combined their skills and started building! The playhouses eventually went viral (because they’re so freaking awesome) and have been commissioned by a-list celebs like Stephen Curry, and they even were the center of TLC’s “Playhouse Masters”.

We chatted about how it all began with a Rapunzel playhouse and how they eventually decided to open a resort to make their magical designs more accessible! We chatted about their favorite fairytales & favorite cottages at the resort! We got the scoop on how to source the right decor, and even discussed how one ships a giant playhouse to a client! Check out their website: https://charmedplayhouses.com/ and stay at the Charmed Resorts: https://charmedresorts.ca/

She comes with news! Welcome back to Fashion Artist and Author, Holly Nichols! Also known as “hnicholsillustration”, she joined us in April 2021 to discuss her rise on TikTok and her book, “Modern Fashion Illustration”. Since then, she’s up to 1.7 million instagram followers, 6.2 million TikTok followers, and has done numerous campaigns and works for some of the worlds most notable brands. She goes viral for her recreations of Disney princesses and red carpet looks of the world’s a-list celebs.

In this episode, we catch up and chat all the things that have happened since 2021, including new video content, insane social media engagement, and support from major brands like the Patriots!

She also shares a special announcement that she’ll be selling her book again with a new publisher! PLUS, a new coloring book is coming soon!! SO SO SLAY!

Shop her amazing products: https://www.etsy.com/shop/hnillustration/

Check her out on Instagram & Tik Tok:https://www.instagram.com/hnicholsillustration/?hl=en

Welcome back to the legendary Queen of Cotton Candy, Emily Harpel, Founder of Art of Sucre!

Emily joined us in February, 2021, to discuss her luxury cotton candy brand that was going viral. When we first met up with her, she was just getting ready to launch her online store. We were SO excited to shop when it dropped and we even featured her cotton candy glitter bombs at Ioanna’s Bridal Shower!

She scaled the business in a major way during the pandemic and navigated choppy waters, coming out stronger than ever. Today, the business continues to expand into new flavors and products, and Emily even started her own podcast “Let Them Eat”, which dropped its first episode on Feb 1, funny enough the 2-year anniversary of her Sip With Me episode!

Emily spun up some fluffy fun with us, giving us the tea on what’s happened since 2021, including some amazing brand partnerships and expanding her team. We talk about the struggle of finding balance as an entrepreneur, crafting new flavors, and making sure you expand your business in a way that is manageable for you and your team.

Listen to her podcast wherever you listen! And be sure to shop Art of Sucre at the link in our bio!